The Stuff Of My Dreams

I treated myself to a new book last week after seeing some of the pages reproduced in Coast magazine. I've always had a major passion for any type of thing that can be prettified and turned into a cute little homey hideaway, you know, sheds, summerhouses, beach huts, caravans, camper vans and the such like. Have never owned any of these things mind you (excepting a very small shed full of spiders and dirty underused garden tools), but ooooohhhh I've certainly dreamed long and hard about these sorts of places. I just love-love-love the whole idea of creating a Cosy Happy Place in which one can while away some hours and be surrounded by cosy cuteness. Comfy seats, cushions, blankets, dinky little curtains hanging at dinky little windows etc. And if this Cosy Happy Place happens to be on wheels and can take one away on holiday too, then woohoo so much the better. Yes, this is the Stuff Of My Dreams.

This book really is visually very lovely indeed. The blurb on the back tells you that the book contains "forty stylish caravans of all vintages from across the world. Packed with inspirational photography. Exploring how people refurbish and customise their caravans. A visual voyage into the unexpectedly stylish world of modern caravanning". 

Ooooo Ok, so quite a quirky but very trendy-cool subject then. Cos it's all about style and vintage and being cool, obviously.

But you see, personally I'm not too fussed about the Vintage Credentials or about being Cool or Trendy or Stylish. No, just show me Interior Prettiness please. I want to see dinky curtains and brightly coloured melamine plates......

........pretty tins and lovely cutlery, and oh oh yes some bunting too, and if there could possibly be a blanket or two I would certainly be jigetty-jigging with the pleasure of it all.

 

Ah yes yes yes!!!! Page twenty and I see a crochet GRAnNy BlanKet and I'm oh so happy, doing a jigetty-jig!!!!

Aren't these images just adorable? Heart-skippingly lovely and sweet and the stuff that my Cosy Happy Place dreams are made of. For sure.

Would you like to know more about the delightful vintage caravan on these pages??

 

Here she is....she is called Constance, and is owned by a very nice lady called Lucy (haha, no not me, although I wish). Now Constance is no stranger to me as it happens, I have come across her before in fact, over in Flickrville.

Yes, I have drooooooled over the above image of Constance's interior more times than I can remember.

 

I have swooned over that blanket. And the cushions. Curtains too.

Oh and the bunting, the floor, the Greengate tins, the spotty tray. Yes I have swooned, admired, desired and been inspired by Constance for a long time now. She is the Stuff Of My Dreams.

I emailed Constance's owner last week and told her how much I was in love with her caravan, how the Granny Square blanket made me go weak at the knees. I asked her pretty-please could I share these pictures with you all, cos I wanted to show you the Stuff Of My Dreams. And she very kindly said that Yes I could most certainly bring Constance to Attic24 to show you all.

But that's not all.

No, there's more.

As well as the lovely Constance, Lucy also has a fleet of amazingly adorable VW camper vans that she hires out through her company Snailtrail. Oh my friends, you are going to LOVE these campers so much....take a look at some of the interiors....

 

First up we have Betty, doesn't she have the most beautiful interior?

 

This is Elsie......oh her blankie is so so so yummy in all it's grannified squariness!

 

And this is Flo...oooooooo spots and dots and great big granny squares and mugs of tea with jammy croissants!!!

How FAbUlOus!!!! 

How beautiful and fun and inspiring and heart-skippy these pictures are!!!!!!!

OK, I shall stop exclaiming now, shall calm myself down and talk in a normal voice.

Now then....as you may or may not have guessed by now, this post does in fact have something more behind it other than me just hyperventilating over other peoples caravan/camper interiors.

I shall not beat about the bush....shall tell you without further ado that on the 1st of May we made a New Purchase for our little family here at number 24. Rather a big New Purchase.

Yes, we bought ourselves a Caravan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just an ordinary type of English caravan you understand, nothing cool or trendy or vintage.

But she is ours, all ours, and we are so so so so so so so so excited here at number 24!!!!!!!!!!

She's 18 years old and has been lovingly used by two families (brother and sister) and is now about to become the Stuff Of My Dreams. 

You see at the moment she looks quite ordinary, a little shabby, a little tired.

 

Inside she has some rather dubious carpet and quite a lot of dusky pink and beige going on.

 

But in my Minds Eye I have already given her an Attic24 makeover, I can see her so clearly!! (remember The Chair, remember how clever my Minds Eye is??!) She is going to be made to look beautiful, colourful, cosy, happy, heart-skippy. Yes, I can assure you I've got it all worked out already. Can't wait to get started.

We're taking her out tomorrow, we are spending our first night caravanning at a local site in the woods near Bolton Abbey. I hope it's going to be the first of many, many happy days (and nights) spent holidaying with her, I really do.

Excited??

Ohhhhhhhhhh YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Comments

[Jillyuk]

Ohhh your so lucky!! bet it will look scrummy too x x x

[Diane F-D]

The best memories of my childhood were time spent in a VW camper traveling the US and Europe with my folks and siblings. Thanks for the reminder and may your kidlings have equally grand memories some day.

[Sherry]

Oh, Lucy, your family will make so many lasting memories and camping will tie your family together in ways you'll never believe. We got our first camper, a 10 footer, when our oldest two children were 5 and 2 years old. Our campers have grown up with us as our children have grown. We now have a 32 footer and three grown children, but the "kids" still clear their schedules to go camping with us. We have survived floods and tornados during our camping adventures and have many, many happy memories of our family time together. I am so happy for your family.

Sherry @ A Happy Valentine

[sarah]

absolutely love those interiors, can't wait to see what you do with the caravan!!

[Erica]

Congratulations! Y'all are going to have so much fun fixing the caravan up, and enjoying it to the fullest. I love how much crochet is featured in those pictures... now I have a new Flickr obsession to enjoy. Thanks! :-)
Erica

[Carolina Ellis]

Oh my... Oh my, I am absolutely green with envy. You could do an entire blog on just your new caravan. The purchase, the dreams , the sketches, the refurbishing, the naming, the parties for it at different stages, the way it looks in the early morning just waiting for you, the trips...I could go on and on. ATTIC 24 + NEW CARAVAN = AWESOME ADVENTURE

[Sigrún]

Congratulation! I am sure that she will be so beautiful when you have given her your attic24 makeover :-)

[Kelly B]

Congratulations! So excited for you! I can't wait to see what creative and beautiful things you will do with it!

[Laura]

*grin* You sound so wonderfully excited! Can't wait to see how wonderful it looks when you're done.

Although as a word of caution for the small people - if it's the kind of one with fold-out bunk beds, don't hit the edge too hard while sleeping on it. Particularly not in the middle of the thunderstorm. I'm restless sleeper, managed to fold it up underneath me and terrified my mother half to death!

[Kristina]

Congratulations on your new exciting purchase! I'm sure you will manage to turn it into something very 'you' - cosy, colourful and very very inviting.

Hope you have many nice trips and gather loads of pretty memories. I'm already jealous... (Been to Bolton Abbbey once and loved the place - hope to visit it again some time...)

[Crafty Witch]

Wow! We have a big family over here in Holland, Mum, dad, two boys and two girl of 10, 9, 7 and 5 years old. And a Beagle called Ruby and when I visited the Snailtrail website I was excited to see a lovely VW Camper called RUBY! Ruby is sooo cute! Our dream is to buy a VW camper and drive to numerous places with our family! Thank you for blogging this loveliness!

[Rebecca]

Your family will make some of their greatest memories cuddled up in the little caravan.

I know some of my children's fondest memories now 32 and 29 are of the camping jaunts we enjoyed while they were young. I remember my boy who must have been around 8 years old or so was talking in his sleep one night, gave a great big sigh and said "I'm just having the best time". And yes, he was sound asleep.

I can't wait to see what yours will look like once it has been Lucy-fied! It will be beautiful! Have lots of fun with it and in it!

How are the little people faring? Better, I hope?

[anita]

ooooooooooooooh can't wait to see what you are going to do with it!( no doubt it's going to be some amazing stuff!) I hope you and yours will have many many memorable trips with it!

[Sue]

I love the look of your caravan. Lovely light with those big windows. Can't wait to see what you will do with her. We love vanning too. Can't decorate mine much though as it is a wind down camper. But, we have great fun in it for a few weeks each year. Would love one like yours though that I could "do up". Good luck with it. I love reading your blog. You've inspired a great many granny blankets in this neck of the woods. Sue, Victoria, Australia.

[Beth]

I love caravans....drool! Most especially gypsy caravans....I WANT one just like Mr. Toad's! love, Beth

[Elizabeth]

I beyond love this! I to dream a sunny little campers.

[Wendy]

Looking forward to seeing what you do

[Caroline Jeffery]

Oh my what a fab book... I really want that book, and a caravan and vw camper oh my can't wait to see your step by step photos as you create your vision
Caroline x

[lisa]

OOOoooooo! happy camping- i never wanted one before-but.....

[Ariadne]

Congratulations!I never owned a caravan but ever since I was a kid I loved small houses,sheds,caravans and tents to customise and decorate myself. I wish Coast was sold here,unfortunately it has stopped. Ariadne from Greece!
ariadnesky@hotmal.com

[Gill]

Please do show us step by step how you go about the conversion...and then I can try and tackle ours!! Our caravan is a sad dark brown and orange mix, with peeling ceiling liner and almost no lighting. It is definitely up for a revamp! Have you seen Happy Loves Rosie's caravan? Its gorgeous too. Thanks for sharing the book. Gill.

[Kim Fluck]

I can see it now... it's going to be gorgeous!

[Gill]

Congrats on the caravan!I'm sooooo jealous.We had one for a few years and I had plans but unfortunately no dosh to make her jaunty and pretty as planned.We've mourned her sale ever since but hey-ho.I'm sure you'll have lots of fun-we did.And funny you should mention Snailtrail.I was on their site the other day as my fiancible and I have finally decided to get married and planning to hire a campervan for honeymooning!A happy,colourful one to travel to the Dales in.So keep an eye out in Skipton in the months to come.By the way-can I be cheeky Lucy and use your blog to ask if anyone's seen any websites with ideas for a small,jaunty,jolly wedding I'd be very grateful.
Lots of love and stuff x

[mitsi]

good luck on your caravan make over! she shall be beautiful, i have my "cassie" van, and i restored her and loved her and she has given me so much joy as i am sure you will have with yours.
may you have some wonderful adventures with her
mitsi xxx

[Maddi]

So cute! I can see all the hooky goodness you're going to put in there... congrats!

Hopefully, some color for this camper will find its way to you...

-Maddi <3